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The Maidenhead Advertiser has celebrated its 150th anniversary with a special edition of its weekly newspaper and limited edition pale ale.

The independent title included a 24-page anniversary supplement marking its birthday with retrospectives on past front pages and local campaigns.

The paper published its first edition on 28 July 1869. It was taken over by a charitable trust named after proprietor Louis Baylis in 1962 and is still published by Baylis Media today.

Local brewery the New Wharf Brewing Company also created a limited edition pale ale in celebration of the newspaper’s anniversary last week.

The 4.3 per cent brew was available at the three-day Maidenhead Beer Festival. It was made with Citra and Nelson Sauvin hops and came in bottles sporting the Advertiser logo, the paper said.

Maidenhead Advertiser editor James Preston said: “The Advertiser team is incredibly proud to be celebrating such an important milestone in its history.

“The newspaper has strived to maintain its independence and act as the voice of the community, and the anniversary has provided an opportunity to take a trip down memory lane and look at some of its most important stories and campaigns.

“Our anniversary edition highlights the role of our owner, the Louis Baylis Trust, which has donated £6m to charities and good causes since being set up in 1962, and looks to the future as we seek to ensure local newspapers remain sustainable and play a crucial role in democracy for many years to come.”

The title’s front page story celebrating its birthday, published on Thursday, read: “For 15 decades we have been there to chronicle events in the town, acting as a voice of the community and guardians of local democracy.

“We remain as committed as ever to sustainable, high-quality journalism, both in print and online, and, as we celebrate a landmark moment in our history, we are looking to the future to find new and innovative ways to bring readers their local news.”

Former editor Martin Trepte has written a book about the paper’s history after almost 30 years at the title, starting as a reporter and working his way to the editor’s chair, which he held for 21 years before stepping down last summer, according to the Maidenhead Advertiser.